


One Good Day

by MissSavvy



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/M, First Dates, Friendship/Love, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 15:29:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSavvy/pseuds/MissSavvy
Summary: Arthur Fleck feels something for Sophie Dumond that he's never quite felt before.





	One Good Day

Sophie laughed like an angel. Or at least, that’s what Arthur thought. Something about it calmed his anxieties. But then again, her presence didn’t  _ exactly _ put him at ease. She was so unpredictable - always managing to cause a lump to swell in his throat when he least expected it. Maybe it was that  _ smile _ . He watched her dimples with delight, imagining how soft the lines at the corner of her lips might feel beneath his fingertips. 

Then he would curse himself, stuttering awkwardly and diverting his gaze when she caught him staring. For some reason he couldn’t place, it didn’t seem to bother Sophie when Arthur got lost in her expression. Often, it only prompted on another one of her pleasant giggles. He couldn’t call it flirting. He didn’t know what to call it, exactly. He wanted to convince himself that Sophie could be something more than just a friend. But as much as he’d like to imagine such a scenario, he was already puzzled by her friendship alone, not understanding how a girl like her could decidedly  _ choose  _ to spend time with him. 

“Arthur, it’s been  _ months _ since I’ve gone to the movies,” Sophie sighed into her chair, slumping back and cradling a cup of coffee between her slender hands, “... and I think the theatre’s playing something new - you like Charlie Chaplin, don’t you?”

He looked up from his own dark brew, “I - I haven’t been for years...” he started to trail off, thinking about the only Chaplin flick he’d seen with Mother. His cheeks tinged a soft red as he thought about the movie’s premise of a lowly janitor wrongfully imagining a beautiful woman had fallen for him. The irony of it all embarrassed him. 

“But you like Chaplin?” Sophie repeated, tilting her head and ignoring his tendency to withdraw into his own. Arthur quickly looked up, nodding his agreement and adopting a more attentive expression.

She granted him another playful smile. “Let’s make a plan, then. Just you and me. I mean, we could even get a little crazy and splurge on cotton candy - _paint the town pink_ ,” she giggled.

He knew his expression clearly conveyed some shock and discomfort, but he was a little more worried about the sudden flush of color that crept up his neck. “That could be, you know, I... I would like that,” he managed to finish, wishing he could hide behind the chalk-like ivory makeup he was accustomed to wearing on the job. 

“Well, let’s shoot for Friday then. I have an appointment at Arkham in the afternoon. We could meet up from there and walk together.”

Arthur thought about what his psychiatrist might say, should she catch them strolling outside of the asylum. Would they be walking side-by-side? Hand-in-hand? Would someone warn her to keep away? 

It was hard to talk about much of anything at Arkham, but when Arthur was in a _ good _ mood, he would sometimes talk about Sophie. Sure, she was just another patient. But Sophie was much more forward and open when it came to her issues. She was working through them. After all, it was impossible for anyone to grow up in The Narrows of Gotham City without witnessing some form of tragedy and crime on an almost daily basis - and her trips to Arkham were more of a necessary form of recovery and recuperation. His visits, however, held no such promise of better days. In fact, every time he was forced to walk in and out of that dismal building he could feel another part of him break. It was scary. It scared him. And he was quite certain it scared his psychiatrist. 

But Sophie didn’t need to know all of that. 

“S-Sure, Sophie,” he finally muttered, clearing his throat and forcing himself to stop sipping so incessantly at his hot coffee, “It’s a date.”

_ Oh my God _ . 

He closed his eyes, mortified that he had trusted himself to say anything at all. This wasn’t...  _ couldn’t _ , be a date. Did his unconscious mind just want to push her away before he’d even have a chance to blow it in action? He put his hand to his face and ran it up through his ragged mess of hair. His hand was noticeably slick with sweat, and his pulse was fast. He prayed she wouldn’t be offended as he continued to stare down before he could force out a quick apology, “Sorry - I just meant -” 

“It’s a date, Art.”

His heartbeat didn’t stop pounding, but her words gave him some sort of confidence, enough for him to lift his gaze to meet her own. His expression was one of perplexion. 

_ Really? _

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, let’s just try and have a good time together, okay?”

_ One Good Day _ .

The prospect of it all nearly made him melt, and the soft, curious look in his eyes was repaid with another kind smile that could only be given by Sophie. She placed her hand on top of his, nearly causing Arthur to jolt before he recognized the warmth as an invitation. A serious invitation. A  _ lovely _ invitation. 

“I’ll see you Friday.”


End file.
